A popular birthday week...

I have the amazing privilege of having an “in-law” family that I love. I know many are not blessed with such a gift, but I thank God that I am. This week was my mother-in-law, Theresa’s, and my youngest sister-in-law, Abby’s, birthdays (March 10 and March 11).

If you know Theresa, I can almost guarantee you love her. She is one of the most selfless persons I know. She is constantly doing for others. If you have ever cooked for 15+ people, you know how stressing it can be! Theresa does it EVERY WEEK. I once had 12 ladies at my house, and I was responsible for cooking for all of them… and it was a two-day process for me! I was stressed, and it was hard. I had a new respect for her after that. Not only does she cook for many, many people, but she cooks WELL for many, many people. Never have I ever put anything into my mouth that was not AMAZING from her. Once when Nathan and I were dating, she cooked us “barbeque nachos”. After making a happy plate because they were so good, she smiled really big and asked if I like it. I said, “of course, it was delicious!” Then she said, “good, because you just ate venison barbeque nachos”. I had expressed to her before that I couldn’t make myself eat deer meat... eww, gross! And without a doubt—she made it amazing. Not only is she well known for being a generous, gracious, and delicious cook, she is very giving of her time, her creative abilities, and her love. She is very involved in many church activities, and anytime you ask anything of her, she is incredibly likely to say “yes”. You can certainly count on her for anything.With Theresa, her focus is on love and relationships—not so much material things. There are few like her these days. She is the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman, and I admire and respect her so much. If her love and wonderfulness aren’t enough to prove her godly focus in life, then her children are surely a testament to it. She (with the help of Randy, of course) trained their children well! To have 5 out of 5 children with a passionate heart for the Lord is uncommon and truly amazing. They followed God’s desire in training their children, and He greatly blessed them. I am lucky to have snatched her only boy. Two days before our wedding, at my bridesmaids’ luncheon, I gave Theresa a cross-stitch picture that had once been my grandmother’s picture given to her by my mom. The words of it are not my own, but the truth and love of it are how I felt then and how I feel even more today.

To His Mother
"Mother-in-law" they say, and yet,
Somehow I simply can't forget
'Twas you who watched his baby ways,
Who taught him his first hymn of praise,
Who smiled on him with loving pride,
When he first toddled by your side.
"Mother-in-law" but oh, 'twas you
Who taught him to be kind and true;
When he was tired, almost asleep,
'Twas to your arms he used to creep.
And when he bruised his tiny knee,
'Twas you who kissed it tenderly.
"Mother-in-law" they say,and yet,
Somehow I never shall forget
How much I owe
To you, who taught him how to grow.
You trained your son to look above;
You made of him the man I love.
And so I think of that today
When with thankful heart I'll say,
"Our Mother."

You are an amazing woman, and I love you dearly. Thank you for all you do. I hope you have a great “birthday week” J

Two birthdays in one week leads me on to Abby.

Abby—I think you are precious. You are so sweet, and so welcoming. I love that every time I see you, you give, not only Nathan, but also me a loving hug and hello J I feel so close to you because you make it easy to love you and get close to you! You are so much fun to be around! You are mature in so many ways, and it is exciting to watch you grow into a godly young woman.You are very beautiful, and every time I see you, I am amazed at how much older you look-not like just a little girl anymore- (isn’t there a Brittany Spears song about that??-haha). I also love that you love Bella. That “trait” skipped a few generations in your family... LOL! I hope you have a wonderful “birthday week” shared with your mom- and I can’t wait to see you this weekend! I love you girl!!